More thorough audit of El Toro money needed

One of the biggest jobs a city council has is to make sure that

taxpayer’s money is being spent appropriately.

So when Councilman John Heffernan asked for an accounting of the

$3.6 million that the Newport Beach City Council had handed over to

the Airport Working Group and Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, he

was doing his job.

Those two groups had asked the council for the money to lead the

charge for an airport at the closed El Toro Marine base. Which,

clearly, at this point was a failed effort.

Now, admittedly, a report shows no irregularities in how the money

was spent, and for that everyone should be thankful.

But the report, done by a contractor hired by the city, also

wasn’t really a full-scale accounting of the money and really didn’t

tell us much more than we already know.

And here’s what we know:

Greenstripe Media received some $930,000 of taxpayer money for

media spots to counter the South County media blitz in favor of

Measure W, the initiative that passed countywide and changed the

zoning on the closed base so that parks can be built there,

effectively killing off any airport plans.

Dave Ellis, the consultant to the Airport Working Group, received

$458,000, Bruce Ellis, the consultant for Citizens for Jobs and the

Economy, netted $346,000 and Barbara Lichman, the attorney

representing the parties, snatched up $330,000 of taxpayer’s money.

In the case of the consultants, that amounts to some $800,000 in

consulting fees alone that Newport Beach taxpayers paid out this

year.

In contrast, the city of Costa Mesa, which is roundly criticized

by supporters of the Airport Working Group, decided not to give any

money to these groups.

And guess what? The result is the same. The pro-airport forces

failed to secure a victory in the fight to build an airport at El

Toro, something that seemed a foregone conclusion not all that long

ago.

But for Costa Mesa taxpayers, they can be thankful they have lost

zero dollars, while Newport Beach taxpayers saw $3.6 million this

year alone go down the consulting fee black hole.

Until Newport Beach taxpayers can get a detailed accounting of

where all the money was spent, and not simply who it was passed on

to, it sure doesn’t seem like they got the most for their money.